16YO, great eye/plate discipline, has been wondering if it’s possible/advisable at this late of an age.
Anyone seen it done in the HS level at this age? His goal wouldn’t be to switch hit, but to convert fully (and therefore focus on nothing but lefty swings for the next 7 mos before HS).
Thanks in advance for input.
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Eddie Murray switch to LH at age 19 after on year in pro all.
look it up! Where is dominate eye?
Bob
I would only do that if his righty swing is a mess. Lefty is a slight advantage but the effect is not huge (10 to 15 points of ops in mlb and that includes positional bias of lefties being mostly 1b and of players).
That is not nothing but not huge.
From looking again at your recruiting post from last December, unless things have changed, your son is a probably a legit HA D3 catcher recruit who would like to get looks from HA D1 schools, and you're probably right that being a LH hitter might help him get noticed.
If that is correct, trying to become a LH C at this late date seems like a really long shot means to that end. Nothing wrong with that, but I think the odds of him learning a LH swing in a few months that his competitors have taken many years to perfect are really, really long.
That said, if you both feel that this is his best chance of getting those D1 looks, and he will forget about playing baseball if it doesn't work out, sure, why not go for it.
OTOH, if he's going to try to find a good HA D3 slot if this doesn't work out, this may hurt his chances at that slot or at least hurt his chances at PT down the road. Because if he can't get that LH swing down, he will have wasted all that time he could have spend working on his RH swing, working on his defence, getting stronger, etc.
Mine was righty with minor switch until 14 then began to switch. Really focused on lefty last year when preparing for college and knew as a LHP and DH they would not want to show left shoulder to RHP's in SEC. Has swung 95% this summer leftie. it takes a lot of work to be successful. What is logic? If logic is just to do it then total waste of time and energy. Become a great rightie.
Since my son was little, he could hit on both sides. He used to go in the batting cage and jump from side to side between pitches (yeah, showing off). But, in games he always hit on the right.
When he started freshman year of HS, he decided he wanted to try switch hitting. In hindsight this was a mistake. He worked hard on both sides, but I think his right-handed hitting suffered, and left wasn't good enough yet. Anyway he got very few at-bats as a freshman on varsity, and when summer started, and he wasn't doing that well switching, he went back to hitting on the right, and it was better, so he gave up on the left.
Junior year of HS he was hitting pretty well, leading off for his team. Toward the end of the season, he suddenly developed a pain in his back. It hurt only when he was batting, not while pitching, fielding, throwing, etc. We freaked out - heading into his recruiting summer, what if it was a bad injury? Went to the orthopedist, who said it was a spasming muscle, and it was "only" pain, so he could play through it if he wanted. He decided that he was going to hit on the left, which didn't hurt at all. Had an amazing last few games, hit better on the left than he had all year, and became a switch-hitter again, that summer, senior year of HS, and into college. I think he hits better on the left than on the right, I've asked him if he has tried hitting lefty on lefty, but he hasn't - I think partly because he hasn't had much lefty batting practice (but maybe other reasons, I don't know).
For him it wasn't about recruiting so much, it was just that he discovered he hit better on the left. Maybe, as Bob would say, it is his dominant eye, but he also has more power.
@PitchingFan posted:Mine was righty with minor switch until 14 then began to switch. Really focused on lefty last year when preparing for college and knew as a LHP and DH they would not want to show left shoulder to RHP's in SEC. Has swung 95% this summer leftie. it takes a lot of work to be successful. What is logic? If logic is just to do it then total waste of time and energy. Become a great rightie.
I agree. Most of the top hitters in mlb are currently righties. Trout, Betts and miggy did ok as righties
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There currently is a trend in Latin America towards switch hitting and many young good Latin hitters are switch hitters (lindor, Jose Ramirez, wander Franco, albies) but those kids have basically unlimited practice time.
This is all great input, and enjoyable reads on top.
Oddly enough, he & I were talking about it, and he reminded me that he does have some hacks from the other side....
When he was 10 or 11, when he was having issues making contact, he would switch to batting lefty in practice. This would cause him to really focus on seeing the ball, etc.. Def a different situation now....
He said he’s going to chat w/ his hitting instructor and see what his thoughts are. Doubt it will happen, but was worth getting some input. I do appreciate it, as always.
Unless he is a super athlete and possibly ambidextrous I would advise against it. Looking back I would have probably forced my son to hit left handed early on, but who knows? Maybe he wouldn't have turned into a college-level hitter from that side. I also discussed with a really great hitting guru having my son start to switch hit at the age of 11. He said no - unless, again, he is extremely gifted, he will always have a weaker side so work on the better side of the plate. Bottom line, dad, I think you should work with what your son has and not start from scratch this late in the game.
@Consultant posted:Eddie Murray switch to LH at age 19 after on year in pro all.
look it up! Where is dominate eye?
Bob
I was taught the dominant eye test by a guy who was a Marine Sniper in the Korean War. He had a bumper sticker on his car that read "Don't run, you will just die tired". I failed my son who is left handed at everything except hitting. A failure of the father.
How fast is he? If his HTF time is around 4.0 as a righty, it would be amazing as a lefty.
I had a thought that shows how much more involved fathers are now with their kid’s sports journey ...
As a kid I played on some dominant high school and Legion teams. On my high school team I was one of two left handed hitter. We both threw left. We were natural lefties. On my Legion team I was the only left handed hitter.
On my son’s high school team he was one of five left handed hitters in the starting lineup. All five threw right handed. This didn’t happen because kids picked up a bat in the park and decided to hit left handed. They were all taught by their fathers to be R/L. My son was the only natural lefty. But I taught him to throw right.
If his right eye is "stronger" then he will see the ball hit the bat. It will require his personal motivation and his coaches support to provide extra BP swing [right & left].
One year in the Goodwill Series in Australia, I selected 3 Shortstops and on the 1st day place one in CF and one at 3b. The player, age 17 from North Carolina was 3.8 [home to 1st] from right side. I asked him to try left handed, he said yes he always want to. I told him to concentrate on hitting to the left side of the diamond.
He hit .356 in 12 games and returned to HS in N-Carolina.
Wake Forest offered a scholarship and I advised the Coach to continue his "switch hitting"!
The Head Coach agreed.
He played 4 successful years with the cooperation of Coach.
Bob
What Bob said. You need a supportive coach.
My right handed hitter used to practice hitting left on his hit-a-way tied to the basketball goal in the backyard. He would switch from right to left ALL THE TIME just playing around. One of his travel coaches at 13 said to go ahead a try hitting from the left side, but you can't go back. He didn't do it. He kept hitting right in games.
Then later another travel team/coach gave him the go ahead to switch hit. So he played around with it. He didn't hit as a switch hitter early in HS basically because he wanted to make, and be successful, on the Varsity team. He was at WWBA as a rising junior (with the supportive coach), turned around at his at-bat, and hit a bomb from the left side. The coach of the school that he eventually committed to just happened to be at that game.
So in HS he started to switch hit as a junior, switch hit all through college, and was drafted as a switch hitter. They haven't converted him back...yet.
The down side....son said during recruiting some of the bigger schools with bigger programs weren't convince he was a true switch hitter and passed on him. He eventually went to a high academic D1.
Parent fail: I kept taking the spoon out of his left hand and putting it in his right at a toddler. What did this mamma know about baseball back then!??
Parent fail: I kept taking the spoon out of his left hand and putting it in his right at a toddler. What did this mamma know about baseball back then!??
Speaking of parent fail ...
1) I taught a left handed kid to throw right handed. He didn’t start showing a preference of hand until he was four. He drew with either hand until then.
2) Both kids were born in the summer. They were both among the youngest kids in their grade.
When I was a toddler my mother whacked me if I tried to do anything left handed. Then she taped my fingers together on my left hand.
@JohnnyBaseballOG posted:Looking back I would have probably forced my son to hit left handed early on, but who knows? Maybe he wouldn't have turned into a college-level hitter from that side.
JBOG and @Roadrunner. It's been a while since I've heard it from him, but RipkenFanSon (3.9 HTF) used to chide me for not teaching him to hit left when he was younger. I wish I did. Son is definitely dominant right all the way around, though. He would tell me how much higher his BA/OB% would be without all those ABs where he was"out at first by a step."
And his non athlete younger brother.. he's lefthanded.
RJM reminded me of my days assistant coaching my daughter’s rec youth softball team.
First time doing front toes in a cage with a young girl (10yo). She’s batting righty, and she’s chopping wood. I talk to her a bit, and she says she plays tennis. I ask her to show me her tennis swing. She switches lefty, and I ask her what’s up. She says “I’m left handed.”
I ask her to try hitting lefty, and she says no, her dad wants her hitting right handed.
We keep working with her and trying to get her (and her dad) to let her hit lefty, but he refuses. Never gives a reason. She gets 1 hit all season.
Next season, another team ends up with her. First game we play them, she’s batting lefty. Solid hit on first pitch. Later on, her new coach says “Yeah, she was a lefty, but none of her previous coaches let her hit lefty....”
Ah, youth.
@Ripken Fan posted:JBOG and @Roadrunner. It's been a while since I've heard it from him, but RipkenFanSon (3.9 HTF) used to chide me for not teaching him to hit left when he was younger. I wish I did. Son is definitely dominant right all the way around, though. He would tell me how much higher his BA/OB% would be without all those ABs where he was"out at first by a step."
And his non athlete younger brother.. he's lefthanded.
RIP, my son made his college debut against Yale, as a pinch runner. Scored the winning run in a marathon 16 inning game. Were you there?
@RoadRunner posted:RIP, my son made his college debut against Yale, as a pinch runner. Scored the winning run in a marathon 16 inning game. Were you there?
Most likely..If I am thinking right, game had a painful ending. Was it in North Carolina?
@Ripken Fan posted:Most likely..If I am thinking right, game had a painful ending. Was it in North Carolina?
Yep!🙂
Not painful for me😂
Son is a left handed pitcher. His College days are gone, and he is still playing in Mens leagues. He plays in the MABL/MSBL tounraments on a team that pays his way. However he sees some writing on the wall. He knows that his left arm will not last forever, so he is now learning to Pitch Right handed. He has always been a bit ambidexterous. Did not pick a hand until he was forced to. He still plays some sports right handed.
Just trying to expand his repertior so he can play longer. Just wont give it up.
@Senna posted:16YO, great eye/plate discipline, has been wondering if it’s possible/advisable at this late of an age.
Anyone seen it done in the HS level at this age? His goal wouldn’t be to switch hit, but to convert fully (and therefore focus on nothing but lefty swings for the next 7 mos before HS).
Thanks in advance for input.
Lefties can be cruel and wicked, especially to their own kind.
@Go44dad That’s purty.
Quick update:
Son chatted with his hitting coach after workout yesterday. Coach said that if son completed summer with .360 or higher BA, then they will work on it for August and see where it goes.
Will keep y’all posted.
@Go44dad posted:Lol. My kid didn’t think so. He was the hitter.
It appears the first pitch was a questionable call. If puts a lefty against a lefty in a bad position. At 0-2 the pitcher would have been a moron not to go away outside the zone. Your son only saw one strike. Had the count been 1-1 he might not have swung at the third pitch. He would have got a better pitch or taken the pitch and been up in the count 2-1.
But given what the umpire gave the pitcher it was excellent pitching the way he worked it.
@RJM posted:It appears the first pitch was a questionable call. If puts a lefty against a lefty in a bad position. At 0-2 the pitcher would have been a moron not to go away outside the zone. Your son only saw one strike. Had the count been 1-1 he might not have swung at the third pitch. He would have got a better pitch or taken the pitch and been up in the count 2-1.
But given what the umpire gave the pitcher it was excellent pitching the way he worked it.
This is a collegiate league that usually doesn't have too much talent in it. The umps are from the 15/16/17/high school ranks. With the cancellation of the college seasons and many of the top collegiate leagues, the talent got pretty good in this league. But the umps often look out of place with big HS strike zones.
Kid on mound is a junior who pitched for a pretty good mid-major last year. Kid at plate has gotten plenty of calls when he was on the mound.
